About NoteFest
Gamified music literacy for beginning orchestra - built by an educator who has spent a lifetime in it. Violin, viola, cello, and bass are live. Band and chorus are coming soon.
The Problem
Music teachers have very little time with students and a long list to cover: how to read music, how to hold the instrument, how to play together, how to listen, how to be a musician. Something has to give. Too often it is the work only a teacher can do.
They also stitch together 3-5 disconnected tools to cover theory, ear training, technique, and performance. Students switch between apps, YouTube videos, and printed worksheets - none of it talking to each other, none of it engaging enough to keep them coming back.
NoteFest takes music literacy into short, gamified lessons students will actually finish. Rehearsal can be playing, ensemble, and the kids in front of you - the work a computer cannot do.
About the Founder
Sergei Panov is a violinist, educator, and curriculum designer who has spent over two decades teaching strings at every level - from 5th grade orchestra to conservatory. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, he emigrated to the US at age 12 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from Temple University, where he served as Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra under the late Joseph Primavera and studied under the late Helen Kwalwasser.
He has taught at:
- 5th Grade Orchestra teacher, Montgomery Lower Middle School (current)
- Orchestra teacher, John Marshall Elementary School (Edison, NJ)
- Violin faculty, Westminster Conservatory
- Director of Orchestra, Rahway High School
- Manager, Central Jersey Region Orchestra
- NJ All-State Violin Sectionals clinician
- Presenter, NJMEA Conference & Rowan University
He is the founder of Violin Explained, an educational platform and method book series that has helped thousands of students start playing string instruments - fast, and with confidence.
21+ Books, Sold Worldwide
Sergei's instructional manuals are used by students and teachers across the US and internationally, available through Amazon and J.W. Pepper.
Selected titles
📗 Learn Violin Fast - Books 1, 2 & 3 (English)
📗 Aprende Violín Rápido - Books 1, 2 & 3 (Spanish)
📗 Aprende Viola / Cello Rápido - Book 1
📗 Practical Scales & Arpeggios - Violin, Viola, Cello & Bass
📗 Conductor's Score - Practical Scales & Arpeggios (2024)
Why NoteFest
After 20 years in classrooms, writing method books, and watching students lose interest before they ever heard themselves play something beautiful - Sergei built NoteFest to be what didn't exist.
The goal isn't just to teach music. It's to make the early stages of learning so engaging that students want to keep going - and give teachers one place to send them.